High-Definition Videoconferencing: Making Things Simple for Paralegals, Legal Assistants and Attorneys

A deposition in Chicago in the middle of January, everyone flying in from all over the country and the weather outside is frightful – or at least it could be. That means weather delays, travel hassles and all-around yuckiness. You could schedule the deposition, cross your fingers and hope that it all works out, or you could try Plan B. Videoconferencing. Goodbye travel woes and much easier to cancel than planes, trains and automobiles if the weather is dreadful.

Even if weather isn’t a factor, no one needs to be reminded of the time-sucking, exhausting, and sometimes scary nature of traveling for business. So go for that Plan B. Schedule a videoconference. Everything is simple.

There are two ways you can do this. One way is to use a free service such as Skype or Go-To-Meeting using a webcam. Another way is to use a facility that has dedicated high-definition videoconference equipment installed in a conference room.

Using a free service can be tricky. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Audio quality and video quality can be annoying and the webcam usually can only view one person. Not so simple and more than a little frustrating.

With a dedicated high-definition videoconference facility not only will you have a reliable, quality audio and video experience, the camera can view everyone in the conference room.  And there will be technical staff available to make sure the conference goes smoothly. That makes everything easier.

You can use high-definition videoconferencing for more than just depositions. What about job interviews, remote staff training, preparation meetings with expert or lay witnesses or even board meetings? Whenever there is travel involved, videoconferencing can solve a lot of challenges.

And here’s how things get even simpler. Just give us a call and we’ll make all the arrangements. With high-definition videoconference equipment in our Harrisburg and York, Pennsylvania offices as well as networking arrangements with other conference facilities across the country and worldwide, we can schedule a videoconference anywhere. Simple and Easy.

How does a Court Reporter Prepare a Transcript?

As an attorney or paralegal, you may need a transcript quickly from your court reporter and might not understand why you cannot have it right this instant. The process from deposition to final transcript is not immediate, although it may appear to be. With computer technology, as a reporter writes on their steno machine their steno notes are sent to a laptop and are translated into English. It looks like magic but it’s really a result of a lot of years of work and despite the magical appearance, the final transcript is several steps away from being complete.

This is the step-by-step process to a final transcript: 

Step 1:  Reporters spend years building their “steno” dictionary. For every word or phrase, they have to define the English translation. There’s a lot of words in the English language. It’s a forever job. The more complete a reporter’s steno dictionary is, the better the English translation is. 

Step 2: After the deposition is ended, reporters “scope” the deposition transcript. This is an editing process where untranslated words are defined or corrected. Because proper names and specialized terms may not be in the reporter’s dictionary these words need to be added.

Step 3: After the scoping process, the transcript is proofread to make sure there are no errors or typos and also to research any spellings of specialized terminology or to make sure proper names are spelled correctly. No one likes to have their name misspelled.

Step 4: Corrections are made through a proofreading process and the transcript is signed by the court reporter. The final transcript is then processed and sent out to the parties in the format they prefer, printed or electronic.

Depending on the complexity of testimony, for every hour of testimony, it can take a reporter between two and three hours to have a final transcript prepared.

Why is this important to know?

If you are in a deadline crunch to receive a final transcript, advising your court reporter when you schedule service will make sure the court reporter assigned is prepared, giving them the opportunity to clear their schedule and be ready to meet your deadline.

Court Reporters and Confidentiality

Court reporters hear a lot of things -- they are the fly on the wall, the shadow in the corner, the silent partner to justice and are very often forgotten or not even thought about.  Court reporters have as much responsibility to maintain confidential information as anyone else. How can you trust that what happens in the deposition room stays in the deposition room?

There are three paths to maintaining confidentiality:

• ·       The government path:  Enter into a business associate agreement with your court reporter. Under HIPAA, court reporters are a business associate or subcontractor: “A person or entity that creates, receives, maintains or transmits [PHI] for a function or activity regulated by [HIPAA]” on behalf of a contracted entity or business associate.

• ·       The redacted path: Request information to be redacted from the transcript. There are eighteen identifiers under HIPAA that could be redacted. Among others, this can include addresses, email addresses, birth date, license plate numbers as well as medical admission and discharge dates.

• ·       The trust path: Some court reporters have security clearances that permit access to reporting confidential proceedings such as federal and state grand juries. Court reporters who are members of the National Court Reporters Association agree to abide by the code of ethics which requires members to: “Preserve the confidentiality and ensure the security of
  
  information, oral or written, entrusted to the Member by any of the parties in a proceeding.” And maybe the most important trust factor is the long-term relationship you establish with your court reporter.  When you work with someone over the long term, you know who is in the room with you and your clients and have firsthand knowledge of their commitment to preserving the confidential information entrusted to them.

Have a signed agreement, redact information if appropriate and know and trust your court reporter. Three paths to follow to ensure what happens in the deposition room, stays in the deposition room.